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PHOTO: The Burgess-Allens

This is brilliant. EBONY has profiled Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III (R) and Rashad Burgess as part of its series "The Coolest Black Family in America."

Bishop Allen leads The Vision Church of Atlanta, the well-known progressive and inclusive Pentecostal congregation. Burgess—an R20 friend—is Chief of the Capacity Building Branch for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The couple has been together since 2002, were married in 2009 and recently welcomed a new addition: Caylee LaTanya Burgess-Allen.

"I don’t think there’s any greater thing that a human being can do than pour into another human being and raise a child," said Bishop Allen. It fulfills your life."

The article is beautiful and the slide set is gorgeous. More HERE.

FRANCE: National Assembly Votes 329-229 for Marriage Equality

Liberté, égalité, fraternité! The French National Assembly has overwhelmingly voted for its second and final approval of the "Marriage for All" bill that would recognize marriage equality and gay adoptions. The vote of was 329-229, reports France24.

The law is President François Hollande’s first major social reform. ... [The bill] will allow same-sex couples the same spousal and adoption rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The move is France’s biggest social reform since the abolition of the death penalty in 1981. Speaking after the vote, Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told journalists "We've waged a great and noble battle."

The vote follows a lengthy and acrimonious parliamentary debate and more than 5,000 amendments put forward by the conservative opposition. The amendments, filed in order to delay proceedings, saw some 100 hours of parliamentary debate, often continuing into the early hours of the morning.

The issue has proved to be hugely divisive in a country steeped in conservative Catholic values, despite its global reputation as a progressive nation. While some 51% of people support same-sex marriage, less than half agree with equal rights involving children.

The Socialist-domniated Senate is scheduled to debate the bill on April 2. Approval is expected.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira would implement the new bill if it becomes law. Taubira is the highest ranking Black cabinet official ever in French government.

France would become the 12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Sweden already mandate equal marriage. Mexico City and two Mexican states also mandate equal marriage.  Nine U.S. states and Washington DC have legalized same-sex marriage, too.  Meanwhile: The UK's House of Commons overwhelmingly voted for a marriage bill last week.

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FRANCE: National Assembly Votes for First Marriage Equality Article

Liberté, égalité, fraternité! The French National Assembly has overwhelmingly approved the first article in a bill that would recognize marriage equality and gay adoptions, reports Agence France Presse.

Deputies voted 249-97 in favour of article one of the draft legislation, which redefines marriage as being an agreement between two people rather than necessarily between a man and a woman. The article approved on Saturday was supported by deputies of the ruling Socialist Party, who enjoy an overall majority in the Assembly, other leftists and Greens as well as at least one member of the UMP, the main centre-right opposition force.

"We are happy and proud to have taken this first step," Justice Minister Christiane Taubira said. "We are going to establish the freedom for everyone to choose his or her partner for a future together."

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira would implement the new bill if it becomes law. Taubira is the highest ranking Black cabinet official ever in French government.

The debate began in parliament last week and will continue through a final vote scheduled for February 12. The bill is expected to pass. France would become the 12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Sweden already mandate equal marriage.

FRANCE: Cabinet Advances Bill for Marriage Equality, Gay Adoptions

On the same day that many Americans were celebrating historic election wins for LGBT equality, there was also significant progress overseas. France's new Socialist government introduced a bill to recognize marriage equality and gay adoptions on Wednesday, reports TIME and the New York Times.

President Francois Hollande and his Socialist Party have a majority in both houses of Parliament, and the bill is expected to pass sometime early next year. Christiane Taubira, the justice minister, told the conservative newspaper La Croix that "marriage for all" was a response to "a demand for equality."

The draft law redefines marriage to stipulate that it is "contracted between two persons of different sex or of the same sex" and the words "father" and "mother" in existing legislation are replaced by "parents." The bill would also allow married gay couples to adopt children.

But the move to legalize same-sex marriage has been controversial, and the bill was subject to delays in a country where only married couples can adopt. Opinion polls indicate that a majority of the French support gay marriage, but only half approve of allowing gays to adopt.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira would implement the new bill if it becomes law. Taubira is the highest ranking Black cabinet official ever in French government.

The "Marriage for All" bill faces stiff opposition from the Catholic Church and other religious leaders, reports Reuters and CNN.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the archbishop of Paris, voiced his opposition to the proposed legislation at a meeting of French bishops in Lourdes over the weekend. Opening up marriage to same-sex couples "would be a transformation of marriage that would affect everyone," he said. At the same time, failing to recognize gender difference within marriage and the family would be a "deceit" that would rock the foundations of society and lead to discrimination between children, he said.

Other religious groups in France, including Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, have also expressed their concern over the draft bill, and more than 100 lawmakers are against the legislation, according to CNN affiliate BFM-TV. Hundreds of mayors around the country have also voiced their opposition to the bill.

France would become the 12th nation to recognize equal marriage. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway Portugal, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Sweden currently mandate marriage equality. Mexico City also grants same-sex marriages which are recognized throught Mexico.

Nine states now allow marriage equality—Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington—as does the District of Columbia.

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SAFRICA: ANC Refuses to Strip Gay Rights Clause from Constitution

South Africa's ruling African National Congress has distanced itself from an MP's homophobic comments and says it "has never considered debating" the nation's constitutionally protected LGBT rights. This comes after the City Press claimed over the weekend that the ANC was considering the National House of Traditional Leaders' proposal to strip the constitutional protections.

ANC MP and chairperson of the constitutional review committee Patekile Holomisa said sexual orientation had always been a touchy subject for the ruling party’s caucus. "The last time this issue was discussed was about same-sex marriages. Most of the people in the caucus were opposed to it, but then Luthuli House and the leadership instructed us to vote for it."

Holomisa, who is also the head of the Congress of Traditional Leaders, said the ANC was aware that the "great majority does not want to give promotion and protection to these things" but that the party’s own policy dictated full rights for everyone. The ANC’s caucus will now debate whether or not the matter should be discussed in Parliament.

ANC leadership quickly shut down the rumor, reports News 24.

On Sunday, the Office of ANC Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga said it had noted, with great concern, Holomisa's remarks about gay rights. Motshekga said he would meet with Holomisa to discuss the remarks. "The ANC caucus distances itself from these views and would like it noted that at no stage has it considered debating this issue before Parliament," Motshekga said.

This marks the second time in recent months that the SA government has rebuked traditional chiefs on gay rights. SA President Jacob Zuma criticized Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini for saying that gays were "rotten" in January. Zuma's comments came after critics repeatedly claimed that he presided over a number of rollbacks on LGBT rights—such as appointing anti-gay columnist Jon Qwelane as its ambassador to Uganda, which has gained international scorn for its extreme state-sponsored anti-gay terror campaign.

Same-sex acts are currently illegal in at least 38 of 54 African countries. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African nations that protect LGBT rights. SA is also the only African nation to guarantee marriage equality and gay adoption. Despite these protections, the reality is much different for many Black LGBT South Africans.  Life in the impoverished townships is far less tolerant. Brutal so-called "corrective rape" and murder are increasing against lesbians in South Africa's townships, as well as rape and attacks against gay men.

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REPORT: 2 Million Children with LGBT Parents Face Legal Obstacles

A new report on children raised in LGBT households has been released by the Family Equality Council, Center for American Progress, Movement Advancement Project, National Association of Social Workers and the Child Welfare League of America. "All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families" has been described as the "most comprehensive" analysis of the many laws and policies that impact children of same-sex parents, reports the AP.

A growing multitude of American children [are] being raised by gay and lesbian parents, often without all the legal protections afforded to mom-and-dad households. Increasingly, the welfare of these children will be a core part of gay-rights strategies, as evidenced by a comprehensive report [released] Tuesday. Compiled by an alliance of advocacy and child-welfare groups, it summarizes how laws and social stigma create distinctive challenges for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families.

"There are myriad ways that our families are discounted by government at all levels, and children are hurt the most," said Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council, one of the three groups authoring the report.

The report estimates that about 2 million children are being raised by same-sex parents. The report builds on data released by the Census Bureau on same-sex couples, income, education and housing.

Among the obstacles faced:

—Many government safety net programs use definitions of family tied to marital status which may exclude same-sex partners.
—Because of lack of legal recognition for their unions, gay and lesbian parents can face heavier tax burdens, higher costs for health insurance, and diminished financial protections in the event of death or disability.
—When same-sex parents separate, one parent may lose custody or visitation rights, even in cases where he or she had been a child's primary caregiver.

Overshadowing all these problems is "pervasive social stigma," notes the report.

The AP notes: "The families are striking for their diversity —encompassing many low-income and minority households, and spread across about 96 percent of America's counties." New data show that same-sex couples raising children are more than likely to be Black and live in the South. These are also states that offer the least legal protections for same-sex couples and families. This was in our special for the October 2011 EBONY: "Making It Work: Black Same Sex Couples Raising Kids in the South."

Read the report HERE.

Watch a video PSA on the report AFTER THE JUMP ....

Supreme Ct Declines to Hear Birth Certificate Appeal in Gay Adoption

Very dissapointing.The Supreme Court has declined to hear the case of a gay California couple who sought to have both of their names listed on their adopted son's birth certificate. The case was considered a "significant test" on the rights of gay couples who adopt a child.

The San Diego couple legally adopted a 1 year-old boy from Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2006. The adoption was later finalized in New York state, where the couple was then residing, reports CNN.

The justices rejected the California couple's appeal Tuesday without comment. The couple claims that Louisiana, where the child was born, has an unconstitutional policy against adoption by unmarried partners. The state used that policy to justify naming only one of them on an amended birth certificate. The men, Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith, argue gay couples have a due process right to be listed on such certificates as joint custodial parents. A federal appeals court ruled against the couple earlier this year.

Darlene Smith, Louisiana's registrar of vital records and statistics, refused their request. She took the position that the term "adoptive parents" in the applicable section of state law applies only to married parents, because in Louisiana, only married couples may jointly adopt a child.

Louisiana state officials argued they did not refuse to recognize the New York adoption decree, and had offered to list one of the parents on the official amended birth certificate. But Adar and Smith insisted both of them should be named.

A favorable ruling in the case was expected to have broad implications in the current legal battle over same sex marriage that is winding its way through the state and federal courts. But the case "did not raise the basic question" of whether same-sex couples have the legal right to adopt, reports the SCOTUS Blog.

Rather, the issue was whether they have a right to equal treatment with married non-gay couples in having both parents’ names listed on the child’s birth certificate. The case also was considered an important case on the meaning of the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause, because of the sharply narrow scope given to that Clause by the Fifth Circuit Court.

The case was spearheaded by Lambda Legal.

"By denying this writ, the Supreme Court is leaving untouched a dangerous Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling," said Kenneth D. Upton, Supervising Senior Staff Attorney. "That carves out an exception to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution and to the uniformly recognized respect for judgments that states have come to rely upon. This decision leaves adopted children and their parents vulnerable in their interactions with officials from other states."

The case is  Adar v. Smith.

Illinois Judge Rules Against Catholic Charities on Adoptions, Foster Care

A major win for equality in Illinois. The state is not required to renew its contracts with Catholic Charities if the organizations discriminate against unmarried and gay couples when placing children for adoption or foster care, a judge ruled on Thursday.

The Chicago Tribune:

[L]awyers for Catholic Charities urged Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Schmidt to prevent the state from suddenly severing a partnership that has funded foster care and adoption services in Illinois for four decades.

But Schmidt wrote in his ruling released Thursday that the longevity of the relationship between the state and Catholic Charities in Joliet, Peoria, Springfield and Belleville did not entitle them to automatic renewal of their contracts. "No citizen has a recognized legal right to a contract with the government," Schmidt wrote.

In discussions after the civil union bill went into effect in June, Catholic Charities told the state that accommodating prospective foster parents in civil unions would violate Catholic Church teaching that defines marriage between a man and a woman.

The civil unions law took effect on June 1. Four Catholic Charities agencies announced soon afterwards that they would no longer license any foster parents. In July, three of those same agencies won a temporary injunction against the state from terminating their contract.

Five days before the civil unions law went into effect, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford laid off 58 workers and chose to end all adoption and foster care services rather than comply with the state's new civil unions legislation. So much for "the children" ....

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IL: Court Rules Catholic Charities Can Continue Adoptions ... for Now

Catholic Charities won a temporary court order to continue serving nearly 2,000 Illinois foster children after the state ended its contract because the group refuses to place children with same-sex and unwed couples, reports the Sun-Times.

Catholic Charities of Joliet is one of three plaintiffs in the case, which also includes Catholic Charities in the dioceses of Peoria and Springfield. Catholic Charities sought the preliminary injunction, which was issued in Sangamon County Circuit Court, after being notified last week that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services would not renew foster care and adoption contracts with the agencies.

The DCFS letter came in the midst of a legal fight centered on the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, which permitted civil unions between gay and unmarried couples but also granted certain freedoms to religious groups with beliefs opposed to such unions.

Catholic Charities wants to continue its past practice of referring gay and unmarried couples to other agencies for foster care and adoption services. ... A DCFS spokesman would only say Tuesday that the agency is reviewing the order. Gov. Pat Quinn and other state officials have said that the decision to terminate the relationship with Catholic Charities was based on the organization’s unwillingness to comply with the new state law.

The next hearing is mid-August.

The civil unions law took effect on June 1. Four Catholic Charities agencies announced soon afterwards that they would no longer license any foster parents. Three of those same agencies sought the injunction against the state from terminating their contract.

Five days before the civil unions law went into effect, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford laid off 58 workers and chose to end all adoption and foster care services rather than comply with the state's new civil unions legislation.

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Illinois Cuts Foster Care Contracts with Catholic Dioceses

The State of Illinois has issued a stern warning to religious bigots who will not comply with the new civil unions law: The state has refused to renew its long-term foster care and adoption contracts with Catholic Charities because the Church refuses to place any of its nearly 2,000 foster children with same-sex couples, reports the Sun-Times.

On Friday and Monday, the Department of Children and Family Services notified Catholic Charities organizations in four suburban or Downstate dioceses that the agency intended to terminate their foster-care and adoption contracts with the state because of the church’s unwillingness to abide by Illinois’ new civil unions law.

"They made a choice," Quinn said of the dioceses. "They have a law in Illinois. It’s the civil unions law. I signed it into law. We’re not going back. Any organization that decides that because of the civil unions law that they won’t participate voluntarily in a program, that’s their choice."

Cutting ties with Catholic Charities in the dioceses of Joliet, Peoria, Springfield and Belleville means the state will place 1,997 children now cared for by those groups with other foster-care agencies, DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe said.

The civil unions law took effect on June 1. Four Catholic Charities agencies announced soon afterwards that they would no longer license any foster parents. Three of those same agencies are seeking an injunction against the state from terminating their contract, adds the Tribune.

The three seeking an injunction on Tuesday — Catholic Charities in the dioceses of Springfield, Peoria and Joliet — sued the Illinois attorney general and DCFS last month for enforcing new policies that accommodate civil unions. In the lawsuit, the agencies sought the court’s permission to preserve their current policy of granting licenses to married couples and single, non-cohabiting individuals and referring couples in civil unions to other child welfare agencies.

Five days before the civil unions law went into effect, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford laid off 58 workers and chose to end all adoption and foster care services rather than comply with the state's new civil unions legislation.

So much for "the children".

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